Planning for the Future: Coming Technology in Distance

Education With Implications for Adult Education

Bill McNutt • Technology specialist, university of Tennessee

Division of Outreach and Distance Education – mcnutt@utk.edu - www.outreach.utk.edu/mcnutt

• Duren Thompson Research associate for technology training, university of Tennessee center for literacy studies – solveig@utk.edu

What is DE?

• Learning that happens when the instructor and student are in different physical locations

• First ‘distance education technology’

Why DE?

• To reach more students

• Because Time = $ – Kids/family– Job issues– Transportation– Course accessibility, e.g. ESOL courses– Confidentiality

The Problem?

• How do we provide effective instruction at a low cost for students who cannot attend traditional classes?

Traditional DE Modalities

• Traditional Correspondence• Audio/Video Tapes

– Stock

– Production

• Television

– Broadcast

Digital DE Modalities

• Video Teleconferencing• Electronic Mail• WWWeb Delivery• Virtual Classrooms• Internet Teleconferencing

One Solution

• Virtual Classrooms with support from

Internet Delivery Systems– E-mail– CourseInfo– Centra

Learning/Teaching Activities• Our solution met these needs well:

– Meet/greet students– Teacher – peer & peer-peer networking time– Teacher lecture– Write on chalk board/overhead– Students respond to questions– Students “write on board” or read aloud– Class discussion– Small group discussion/work– Worksheets/Handouts/writing activities, etc.– Complete & turn in assignments

Learning/Teaching Activities

• Our solution can meet these needs, minimally– See students– See teacher– Show a video– Hands-on activities

• Experiments

• Art projects

• Role-play

Demonstrate Course Info

• Under construction

Let’s Take a Look at Centra

• Under Construction

Discuss Instruction

• At this point in the presentation we give participants an opportunity to interact with an experienced instructor and briefly discuss the impact of moving from a traditional mode of instruction to a Distance Education mode of instruction.

Comparison

• Video Teleconferencing (high expense)

• Internet Teleconferencing (low quality)

• Virtual Classrooms (expense, low visual)

• Web Courses (asynchronous, no visual)

Implications for AE

For Further ReferenceJackson, Robert (2001). Web Based learning Resources Library,

University of Tennessee Division of Outreach and Distance Education. http://www.outreach.utk.edu/weblearning

Additional Sources:• Cahoon, Brad, Ed. (1998, summer). Adult Learning and the Internet, New

Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 78, 1-82.

• Klass, Gary (2000, July). Plato as Distance Education Pioneer: Status and Quality Threats of Internet Education, First Monday, 5, 1-16. http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_7/klass

• Phillips, Vicky (1998). On the Evils of technology in Academia, Get Educated, 1-5. http://www.geteducated.com/articles/eviltech.htm

• Spencer, Bruce (1997). Adult Education On-Line, 1997 AERC Proceedings, 1-6. http://www.edst.educ.ubc/aerc/1997/97spencer.htm

For Copies of the Presentation

Copies of this presentation available via the WWW at either location:

• http://cls.coe.utk.edu/literacy_resources/ libraries/coabe01.html• http://www.ce.utk.edu/McNutt/• Contact the Presenters: • Bill McNutt – mcnutt@utk.edu -

www.outreach.utk.edu/mcnutt• Duren Thompson – solvieg@utk.edu